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The official beginning of Fall is right around the corner (7 days, 7 hours, and 2 minutes but who’s counting) which means that it’s time to revisit any Summer bucket lists you might have made. If you’re the type of person who doesn’t need written out aspirations to get off your phone and exploring somewhere or something fun, I applaud you. If, however, you often need your Fitbit or that annoying little Netflix are you still there message to remind you that you’ve spent all weekend glued to your couch, then seasonal bucket lists can help avoid that feeling of dread as Summer draws to a close.

Here are the five things I learned while trying to check everything off of my own list.

1. Make sure your Bucket List aligns with your health & fitness goals

Okay, so maybe you wanted to try every microbrewery in your city. Or check out all the local wineries. Picnic in the park with your beloved (spouse, partner, friend or dog). If your list has you eating cheese and drinking cocktails just to keep up, perhaps you were a little too ambitious when you made it. For every item on your list that involves a bit of a treat, add on another that contributes to your overall wellness.

Adding in physical activities like hiking, trying new workout classes, or simply taking more walks with your loved ones can help you stay in line with your health goals. Pick a farm-to-table restaurant to try, or maybe plan a dinner night in using only seasonal produce. Balance is how these healthy habits become permanent lifestyles.

2. Plan ahead financially

Unless you’re made of money (side note: that phrase freaked me out as a kid and I thought it meant people were actually stuffed with bills and coins inside weird skin suits) then you’ll probably have to save up to check off everything on your list.

3. Know the difference between liking the idea of something and actually wanting to do it

You know what sounds great? Setting a goal for reading one book a month. You know what’s not great? Feeling guilty about going to another hot yoga class instead of reading a post-apocalyptic book from the library on a Sunday afternoon. Maybe save the literary aspirations for the crummy weather months (or at the very least don’t kick yourself for putting something on the back burner for now).

4. Don’t be afraid to put something hard on there

Do you have a goal you’d like to accomplish at work? A physically difficult outing you’d like to do? It really can’t hurt to put one or two of those on your list, as long as you don’t overload yourself with them.

Tomorrow I’m be knocking the cycling wine tour off my list even though I had to relearn how to ride a bike to do it!

5. Be willing to change it

This Bucket list is all for you, so don’t be afraid to add or remove items as you come to learn more about what you want or when something outside of your control throws a wrench in your plans. An injury sidelined me from my marathon training this year and an awful forest fire closed down some of the trails I’d been looking forward to hiking. You created this list to maximize your own personal happiness, so don’t let your completionist self get in the way of that.

I’m excited to have checked off a few items from my own list including cheering for my fiancé at his graduation, finding a venue for our wedding, getting rid of most of our stuff in our big move, and seeing a Mariners game with a good friend (J was so happy the Angels crushed us).

As expected there are some things that I didn’t quite get to, like reading more books from the library and hosting a themed party. Some of these are going to get re-evaluated and others are already scheduled for this Fall!

What’s on your Fall Bucket List Year? I’d love to hear some of your top plans for the holidays, spending time with friends, solo travel & more in the comments!

This fall I want to go apple picking since I didn’t get to go last year. Aside from that, I have a secret trip planned for my boyfriend that I’m really excited about. I love how you said to add one indulgent based item to your bucket list and one health item to the list. It’s all about balance right?!

I’m starting my planning early since last year was a bit of a scramble and we ended up going to a corn make that was shin deep in mud, haha. That’s so sweet that you’re planning a secret trip for him! I bet it’s going to be wonderful and I hope he knows how lucky he is. I noticed when I first sat down to make these little lists that I’d be eating donut burgers 3 times a week if I didn’t reign it in a little. 😉

Great post!!! #3 is one I have to constantly remind myself when I’m making my list. There are lots of things that are classics, but I have no interest in doing… and that’s fine! I’m also making sure I cut myself some slack when I don’t get to everything, because even doing half of the things on my summer list meant I had a great summer 🙂

Thank you! #3 is probably the one I have the hardest time with as well. It took me years to figure out how to be more comfortable acknowledging that I’d rather read a fantasy romance novel set in space than the most recent NYT bestseller, even if it sounds so much more cosmopolitan to be reading the latter. I hope you have an excellent Fall!

I love the idea of balancing indulgent bucket list things with healthy ones. One of my fall bucket list items is to try a 90 minute Orangetheory class, which I think will be awesome and the worst all at the same time. Hope you have a great weekend!